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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22804696">Friends in High Places</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwiYeoWeo/pseuds/GwiYeoWeo'>GwiYeoWeo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, IT'S CUTE AND NOT THAT SERIOUS I PROMISE, Regis deserves a nap, imaginary friends aren't as imaginary as you think daddy-o reggi-o, kiddo!Noctis, sort-of-uncle!Ardyn, there's a uh head in there but nothing too graphic lol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:53:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,936</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22804696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwiYeoWeo/pseuds/GwiYeoWeo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p> "Daddy, can my friend sleep over?" </p>
  <p>"Hm," Regis starts, rubbing a hand at his beard. "They can stay as long as they want, so long as they pay the rent. A prince's room does not come cheap, after all."</p>
  <p>----</p>
  <p><i>‘On my desk,</i>’ Regis remembers, as he’s done patting down Noctis and the boy looks sick of his prodding now. It clicks, but he’s almost determined not to believe it. He gently places his hands on Noctis' shoulders, trying his best to not appear too grave as he looks into innocent eyes. <i>‘Where his friend’s rent is supposed to be.’</i></p>
  <p>Well, shit. </p>
</blockquote><p>What Regis believes to be Noctis speaking for his imaginary friend, turns out to not be so imaginary after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ardyn Izunia &amp; Noctis Lucis Caelum, Ardyn Izunia &amp; Regis Lucis Caelum, Noctis Lucis Caelum &amp; Regis Lucis Caelum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>586</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Friends in High Places</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>borderline crack?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Daddy, can my friend sleep over?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noctis peeks out from under the cover, eyes threatening to resort to his infamous puppy dog look. The boy already has his fingers toying with the top edge of his blanket, like they're little paws instead of hands, and his lower lip is ready for that little soft quiver. Even under the dim glow of his carbuncle-shaped night light, Regis can easily see the wet glassy look of his baby boy’s blue eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cor really needs to stop teaching his son these tricks. Horrible influence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hm," Regis starts, rubbing a hand at his beard. "They can stay as long as they want, so long as they pay the rent. A prince's room does not come cheap, after all."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately Noctis turns that woeful look into a bright pearly smile, his shining eyes no longer threatening tears but radiating genuine joy. He also scoots to the far end of his bed to turn half his body upside down, torso hanging over the edge as he peers into the darkness beneath. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Dad says you can stay!" Noctis excitedly whispers to the dust and crumbs under his bed. Or maybe to a stuffed toy. He hefts himself back up and returns to position, wiggling into a comfortable spot smack dab in the middle of bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis should make it illegal for any child to be that adorable; it makes him want to clutch his heart and keel over, and Insomnia really can’t afford to have their king die from such unfortunate circumstances at the moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Noctis hits him with some fancy wording. "He said he accepts your conditions and will provide proper compensation."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis lifts his brows a little at that. Has Noctis secretly been hanging outside his office, or did his governess decide on an accelerated vocabulary curriculum? Regis isn't sure if he should be impressed or concerned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, kids </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> tend to say the darndest things anyway. But Noctis doesn’t give him anymore surprises after that, just the usual demand for a goodnight kiss before getting tucked into bed. And Regis can’t quite say no to any of that.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, dad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My friend wants to know when he has to pay the rent. For staying in my room.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis was putting away the last of Noctis’ toys into a chest when he looks up to see his boy clearing off the scraps of colored paper and crayons from the floor. With how brazen Niflheim’s become, the war just requires all the more attention and effort from the king; before long, he fears it may soon end up being </span>
  <em>
    <span>days</span>
  </em>
  <span> before he can even have a little short lunch with his own son. So now, whatever scant time he has, he pours it all upon Noctis, even if that means playing make-believe and acting along to a child’s nonsensical imagination and getting crayon shavings in his beard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s still adorable though. Especially how Noctis remembers the little “deal” they made with his imaginary friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, let’s see…” Regis lifts his head up and stares at the ceiling, tapping a finger to his chin as he feigns deep thought trying to remember the week’s schedule. “I do believe I have a nine o’clock opening in my office. Would your friend like to drop off payment then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s only half serious, curious to see what form of payment Noctis will conjure up, if any. Another drawing to add to Regis’ precious collection, a snack or cookie baked up with the help of their many capable chefs, or maybe a shiny beetle found in their gardens. Hopefully nothing poisonous. Though Regis would accept it with all the same gratitude. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm, okay, I’ll tell him later,” Noctis answers back, eyes still drawn to his clean-up duty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, probably “later” when Regis tucks him into bed. He wonders, briefly, what shape or form this friend comes in — probably Carbuncle-shaped, given his son’s affection for it.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Noctis!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, daddy!” Noctis swivels around, immediately dropping the soccer ball he’s been kicking against a tree and running up to his father. “Did you get the rent?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis has his hands turning Noctis this way and that, searching for any and all signs of damage or wear or </span>
  <em>
    <span>blood.</span>
  </em>
  <span> His boy just giggles, thinking it’s a game of sorts with the way his father has him spinning around, but Regis is silently screaming inside with panic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ardyn said he left it on your desk.” Noctis says it with such a chip in his voice, that it’s almost comical.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Regis had walked into his office this morning with his faithful cup of Joe — in a lumpy ceramic mug crafted by his dear son — it was with the innocent assumption of completing some paperwork and chatting with Clarus over a few pedantic details regarding a couple new bills. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And not, say, approaching his desk to find a polished platter and cloche waiting for him. Regis had smiled into his mug at that, figuring it was the promised “rent” Noctis — rather, his imaginary friend, of course — mentioned. A little cake, or perhaps breakfast, he had thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not the decapitated head of Iedolas Aldercapt, emperor of Niflheim who’s hellbent on conquering all of Lucis. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ex-emperor, now, actually. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(The head had been surprisingly lacking the mess of blood, he’d later realize.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But right now, he needs to make sure his son was </span>
  <em>
    <span>safe. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Granted, there had been no screams of panic or trails of blood, no emergency calls or messengers to rush secrets to him. Even Clarus or Cor, often the first and foremost to report anything awry to him, had been off doing whatever their regular Shield and Marshall duties entailed. Clarus would, of course, naturally gravitate toward Regis’s side once he discovered where his King actually went. And Cor would hunt him down to update him on the list of new Crownsguard recruits and who had actually passed the trials. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As far as they both know, Regis is supposed to be finishing his cup of coffee in his office but! Strangely clean-cut head of Lucis’ enemy on his desk!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘On my desk,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Regis remembers, as he’s done patting down Noctis and the boy looks sick of his prodding now. It clicks, but he’s almost determined not to believe it. He gently places his hands on Noctis' shoulders, trying his best to not appear too grave as he looks into innocent eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Where his friend’s rent is supposed to be.’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, shit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Noctis,” Regis barely manages without choking, “you said your… friend? Left his, ah, rent? On my desk. Do you know what it is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noctis only shakes his head. “No, Ardyn just said it should help with all the fighting outside. He wouldn’t tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At least that’s something to feel relieved about. Despite knowing his son would have to one day take up the crown and all the world’s burdens surrounding it, he would like to shield his son from it all until he could no longer; a child at Noctis’ age had no business handling, let alone knowing about, a corpse’s head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis sighs and lets his hands go slack, finally releasing Noctis to pinch at the bridge of his nose. There's a hundred and one questions swirling in his head, and each one just adds to the aching pressure in his skull. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ardyn!" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis whips his head up and around, eyes trailing after Noctis sprinting to some particularly shady trees where a tall man emerges. His boy wraps his arms around the stranger's waist, essentially latching onto him like a (freakin' adorable) leech, and the man humors him with a few gentle pats to the head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis almost mistakes him for a homeless man, mistaking his ornate clothing for rags. His attire is… Unique, to put it in kind terms. Still, odd fashion or not, Regis keeps his guard up, ready to strike at any moment should he feel any threat, magic thrumming just underneath his skin in anticipation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why, hullo there, Your Majesty." The fellow — Ardyn, according to Noctis — takes his hat off with a flourish and a deep bow at the waist, but the smirk he wears lacks the sincerity and reverence he pretends to hold. "Will my payment be sufficient for the month's rent?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis has </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> many questions he doesn't even know where to start. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So naturally, the first thing that comes out of his mouth isn’t a question at all, though his tone could almost mistake it as one. “You’re not imaginary.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ardyn, with his ever-widening (and shit-eating) smile, </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I am very much real, Your Majesty.”</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noctis was sent off with hardly a fight, thanks to Ardyn’s bribery. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, you little rascal, scamper off to your room now. I’ve left a shiny little present on your bed,” he had said. Noctis didn’t need to be told twice, dashing off and nearly running into a manservant. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It earned Regis and Ardyn an hour to sit in the office, the silver platter hiding a lifeless head all that separated the two. And it’s a riveting hour: ninety percent of it being Ardyn fluttering his hands and speaking in a fanciful tongue about who he is, what he’s done, and what he will do; ten percent of it being Regis doubting all that he’s believed so far, including what his father and his father’s father has told him and what outlandish claims the Ardyn fellow spieled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ardyn, as in Ardyn Lucis Caelum, by the way. Which only served to throw Regis into another absurd loop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This great ancestor — the Scourge, Adagium, the Fellstar, </span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span> — reaches over the desk and helps himself to Regis’ cold mug of coffee, twisting his face into a grimace after a sip. “For a King, one would think he’d care for better beans.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“One would think the King would not be sharing coffee with someone as you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, touché.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t truly entertain the idea that my trust is to be had so easily.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t.” Ardyn shrugs his shoulders, the mug nearly sploshing cold coffee with how carelessly he holds it. “There’s really nothing, aside from myself, stopping you from trying to imprison me back in Angelgard. Or wondering if this is all some scheme of me attempting to worm my way into your good graces, to earn your faith only to trod upon it at the end, delivering darkness everlasting upon this good Star. And I really would prefer you to kindly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> try to stick me back into that dusty old crypt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis only eyes him with suspicion, lips straightened into an unamused line. But despite Ardyn’s terrible personality and ill-timed humor, his gut tells him that Ardyn speaks at least some truth, that this dangerous embodiment of darkness and plague may very well prove to be an invaluable ally. Regis is loathe to admit it, but… he’s already trying to come up with some cover-up story to throw to the council on who Ardyn is and why some strangely-dressed fellow is suddenly leisurely strolling around the Citadel, inevitably with Noctis glued to his heels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> that’s a strange image: Noctis clinging to his destined enemy like a curious puppy.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Ardyn continues his babbling, setting down Regis’ prized mug back on the desk so he has both hands free to do his dramatic gestures, flitting them in the air and making exaggerated motions. “You see, I’m a stubborn man of sorts. Very stubborn. When a god decrees I abide by his will, to make myself the world’s villain only to let myself die in the end, well — I must say, that sort of thing simply does not sound like a jolly good time. This is me, as the young ones like to say, sticking it to the man.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis glances at the platter, the closed cloche hiding the ashen face of Aldercapt, when he shoots back a dry retort. "Or sticking it to the man's neck." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"O-ho! So you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a little humor. Glad to see some of Somnus' drab qualities were bred out." Ardyn claps his hands in joy before reaching his hand out, over the desk and above the platter. "I think we'll get along splendidly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dear nephew.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hm. Yeah. Ardyn is definitely not gonna call him nephew around these parts, or the best case scenario is a scandal regarding an ancestor’s infidelity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis eyes him warily, as if the hand could strike him as does a viper. "Upon your word, you will do no harm to my son or my kingdom. And you would wait upon Noctis' final days, when his hair grows white and his eyes weary, to take your last breath upon this world."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, must I have everything in writing for you? Shall I sign my name in blood while I'm at it? I'm sure there's some old magicks we can find to swear this oath on, if you're feeling so insistent." Ardyn gives a heavy eye roll. "Yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Your Majesty, </span>
  </em>
  <span>I do so swear. Besides, while I look forward to my day of rest, there is just much to do! Being locked up in a prison for so many centuries then becoming trapped in a perpetual winter steals so much of one's life pleasures. I really would like to visit that famous chocobo ranch Lucis speaks so fondly of. I once had a bird myself, a rare black beauty; and Niflheim, unfortunately, has no such feathery creatures."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis extends his hand, albeit just a tad begrudgingly, to shake on their agreement, but he hears a familiar pitter patter outside his door that only grows louder and heavier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noctis bursts through the door, glimmering with a faint blue and smelling of magic; he must have warped his way to Regis' office, running in between each shot to save on stamina. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The father in him wants to feel pride at how quickly his son has picked up their family tricks, but the </span>
  <em>
    <span>other</span>
  </em>
  <span> father in him zeroes in on the very large, very</span>
  <em>
    <span> sharp</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing in Noctis' hands. It's nearly as tall as the boy himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It takes Regis a second too long to realize Noctis holds no ordinary sword. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It's the Sword of the Mystic. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The fucking Mystic. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Dad! Dad, look at the sword Ardyn got me!" Noctis nearly topples over trying to lug the thing around, barely avoiding chopping his little leg off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sword who? Ardyn what? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"How many does that make now?" Ardyn asks, looking as if everything is right as rain. He smiles — something like amusement, something like fondness — when Noctis screws his face up in concentration and a dim shimmer spreads from his hands to the entirety of the sword. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And poof, the blade disappears in sparks of white and blue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Uhhh. I have a bow, a shield, and a stick." Noctis counts them off on his hand, pulling one finger up for each weapon he lists.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Scepter, little Noctis."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop right there.” Regis butts in, standing from his seat and circling around the desk to Ardyn. It’s not much, but at least some of his anxiety disappeared when the sword did, the threat of his son slicing off a finger or a hand no longer an immediate threat. But he pauses to look at Noctis, breathing out a weary sigh, and shakes his head. “No, Noctis, not you. Not literally. You may move.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noctis unfreezes, who stood ramrod still with his arms in the air when Regis gave the order to ‘stop,’ and lets his hands fall back to his side. He looks ready to vibrate with excitement, no doubt ready to chuck out his newly-acquired sword and start swinging it around. And probably chase Gladiolus down with it, if his past week’s grumblings of “Gladio’s always picking on me!” and “One day I’m gonna beat him up!” are anything to go by. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh Six,</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Regis thinks, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘how do I begin to explain this.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But before he thinks of a cover-up story, Regis has some </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> choice words to share with Ardyn, none of which are meant for little young ears. So he picks his old, forgotten mug of coffee and hands it off to Noctis, tasking him with a simple enough errand while he picks some bones with Ardyn. “Noctis dear, could you get your father a new warm cup of coffee?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Do bring me one too, little scamp,” Ardyn butts in, despite having complaints of the coffee earlier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Noctis totters off, kindly closing the door behind him before gunning it to the kitchens, and Regis hears the tell-tale stomping and the crackling chimes of their family magic.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis hopes the chefs would do him the favor of distracting his son with some freshly baked cookies, because he’s going to crack open the book of scathing tongues and dip Ardyn in boiling words by the time that coffee is brewed.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It occurs to him after he tucks his son into bed, after Noctis asks if Ardyn can stay in his room again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please tell me that you have, in fact, not been living under my son’s bed this entire time.” Regis asks, though he almost doesn’t want to hear the answer to that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh heavens no!” Ardyn looks aghast, splaying his hand across his chest like he’s been affronted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regis wants to believe him, as the idea of a middle-aged man hiding underneath his boy’s bed makes for an uncomfortable image indeed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So of course, Ardyn has to ruin it when he opens his mouth again. “Not the </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire</span>
  </em>
  <span> time. Though your servants could put a little more care into tidying up his room; it is a bit dusty under there.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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